Human rights is (yet again) the flavour of the morning in the foreign press: The Biden administration could move ahead with a waiver that would release USD 300 mn of the USD 1.3 bn in military aid annually given to Egypt, though the Senate is on edge about Egypt’s human rights record, the Hill reports. Biden officials called Egypt “an important security partner,” during a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing on the Middle East, and stressed the importance of the US continuing to provide security assistance.

Also making headlines:

• Restoration of Assiut’s Virgin Mary Monastery stirs anger: The paving of the cave’s rock floor with ceramic tiles outraged critics, who objected to the alteration of the site that is believed to have sheltered the Holy Family. (Al Monitor)
• A Republic of False Truths gains more international media attention: Set during and after the 2011 revolution, Alaa Al Aswany’s A Republic of False Truths has been getting reviews in the foreign press left and right: New York Times | the Guardian | Foreign Policy | Financial Times | Wall Street Journal | Los Angeles Times